1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to roofing construction tools, and more particularly is a device to notch, shear, and hem the ends of roofing panels in preparation for installation on hips, valleys, ridges, and at eaves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Metal roofing panels are used on many types of building construction, and especially for commercial construction. In a standing seam roof panel system such as is addressed in the present invention, the panels are fairly heavy metal, with ribs projecting upward on each side to connect with ribs of adjacent panels when the panels are installed on a roof. The panels may be joined either by a seamer that crimps the panels so that they are interlocked, or the ribs may be provided with a snap lock mechanism.
At the hips, valleys, ridges, and eaves of the roof, the roofing panels must be cut to fit properly. Because the roofing panels are formed from stiff metal, they can be very difficult to cut. The panels currently are most commonly cut with hand tools, such as metal snips. When installing panels in valleys and at eaves, the ribs of the panels must be notched to create an exposed tongue of the panel. The tongue is then folded under (“hemmed”) so that the hem can slide into a metal cleat which holds the panel end firmly in place. Making the straight cuts required at the eaves is difficult enough, but the angled cuts required at hips and valleys present an even greater problem.
There are many tools in the prior art designed to cut metal panels. The tools that have some relevance to the roofing application discussed herein resemble heavy duty paper cutters, that is, they are shear devices with an associated table to at least in some way secure the piece to be cut. One such device is the “Apparatus for Cutting Metal and Plastic Sheet” of Kania, U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,795, issued Apr. 30, 1991. Another is the “Sheet Metal Shear” of Ireland, U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,616, issued Jun. 14, 1983.
Yet another shearing device is disclosed in the “Sheetmetal Shearing Apparatus” of Jasinski, U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,401, issued Nov. 13, 1973. This device introduces a means to support a flange while the sheet is being cut.
Fewer disclosures are related to the notching of the ribs of a roofing panel. One such reference is the “Notching Tool” of Stubbersfield et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,623, issued May 8, 1984. This patent discloses a portable hand tool to cut the notches required on roofing panels for hip or ridge capping.
There is no device in the prior art that allows full end treatment of a standing seam roof system roofing panel. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that enables the user to notch, shear, and hem an end of a roofing panel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine that allows the user to cut the end of the roofing panel to whatever angle is desired.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device that provides support for the ribs so that they are not deformed during the notching or shearing operations.